Grand PGM Chiyoda Country Club,Tokyo, Japan has new 777 greens for 2019.

In May 2018 eighteen (18) greens at the Chiyoda Country Club were totally regrass and seeded with 777 (Triple Seven) creeping bentgrass. Golf course superintendent Ryota Matumoto supervised this greens renovation project.

Photo above: Ryota Matumoto, course superintendent standing on his new eight month old 777 (Triple Seven) green in January 2019. Note the dormant Zoysia grass surrounding the green as all of the golf course, with the exception of the 777 bentgrass greens, is Zoysia grass to include the fairways, roughs, tees and green surrounds. The clubhouse was designed to have the look of the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

Photos above and below: Were taken on a eight months old 777 (Triple Seven) green in mid January 2019 (GPM Grand Chiyoda Country Club).Note how fine textured and dense the surface is after only a few months to mature before the cold of winter.

This 1920's classically designed golf course has hosted the Australian Open as both Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player can claim winning a major golf event on this golf course.﻿ More recently Lake Karrinyup has been chosen to hold a co-sponsored European / Asian PGA tour event named the Perth Super 6 tournament scheduled for February 2019.﻿

Photo: No. 2 green seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass.

Fraser Brown, golf course superintendent, and Mike Cocking, golf course architect, supervised and directed the total greens renovation project that was divided into two phases over a two year period.

In July of 2017 the front nine greens and the putting green were totally renovated and seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass. In July 2018 the back nine greens were renovated and seeded to 007 bentgrass.

Photo: Five month old 007 green seeded in June 2018, picture taken in late November 2018.

Photo: 007 seeded in late June 2018 with the new greens opened for play in late October 2018, five months after seeding with a mowing height of 3 mm (.118 inch).

As part of the renovation project a total site shade study was conducted to identify trees that would be targets for trimming or removal to allow more direct sunlight to reach each green through out the seasons.

Irrigation water quality being an issue a sulphur burner has been installed to reduce pH from 8.0 to approximately 6.5.

Gelendzhik Golf Club Resort, on the Black Sea, Russia.

Michael Puchkov of Russian Golf Design and Paul Thomas of Paul Thomas Golf Design are teaming up to design and build the first golf course on the Black Sea in Southern Russian.

Brian Smith is the American shaper (bulldozer operator) who will be on site working with Michael and Paul to bring the golf course routing plans to life.

The Gelendzhik area climate is attractive with warm, dry, humid summers that brings millions of people to spend their summer holiday in this active Black Sea resort City.﻿﻿

Of the approximately 30 golf courses currently operating in Russia the above team of Michael, Paul and Brian can claim to have worked on building 1/3 of all of the golf courses in Russia.

Ground was broken in late August 2017 with shaping continuing over the winter as the entire golf course was seeded the during the summer of 2018.﻿

Photo below: Six week old 777 (triple seven) creeping bentgrass green as it looked in September 2018.

This Black Sea golf course will open for play during the summer of 2019.

Vet Lab Sports Club, Nairobi, Kenya

Course superintendent Maureen Kahiu has been interseeding her old L-93 greens with 007 bentgrass with great success. The Vet Lab Sports Club golf course was established in 1923 and is located at an elevation of 5,100 feet above sea level.

Kenny Mackay, Director of Golf Courses & Grounds is supervising the major golf course renovation of the famous West course. Ernie Els golf course architect firm has been hired for the renovation that will include a total rebuilding and regrassing of the greens, adjusting some of the contours of the greens and redesign and relocation of the sand bunkers.﻿

The West course was closed imediately after the European tour PGA BMW championship at the end of May 2016. The course renovation started in June 2016 with a planned seeding of the greens with 007 bentgrass in July 2016.

The renovation schedule will have all course renovations completed by December 2016 with a reopening planned for mid May 2017. ﻿

Seeding of the new 007 bent greens starting July 3. All of the greens seeding was completed by July 26, 2016. Below is a picture of the 6th green taken September 12, seventy days after seeding 007 bentgrass.

Below is a close up of 007 bentgrass 70 days after seeding.

The picture below was taken September 12, 2016 showing the 18th green seeded to 007 bentgrass in July. The Blinder Bunker system was installed which is crum rubber sprayed with a binding tacking agent that will allow water to flow through the surface and into the soil but keep the sand clean from contamination. This green surround still needs turfing and sand added to the bunker.

The construction crew is placing turf around a green and approach site at Wentworth's West course. September 12, 2016.

Friday Harbor Golf Course, Ontario, Canada, under construction. A 1.3 Billion dollar project, currently the largest construction project in Canada.

When completed the Friday Harbor project will consist of a man made boating and winter sports harbor, a promenade of boutique shops, specialty restaurants, luxury townhomes, single family residences on the harbor. The Friday Harbor complex is located to attract people from the Toronto, Canada market.

Superintendent Brent Rogers explained "the 2.5 million cubic yards of dredging material, from making the harbor, was trucked to the golf course site to be used for shaping the contours on the golf course."

Brent has selected a 007 and Tyee bentgrass combination for seeding greens and 007 bentgrass for seeding fairways and tees. Golf course seeding will start in 2016 and be completed in 2017 with an expected opening of the golf couse in 2018.

Lebovic Golf Club, Aurora, Ontario, Canada -

A new Douglas Carrick design with 007 fairways and tees.

Superintendent Colin Young selected 007 bentgrass for seeding fairways and tees during course construction in 2014 and 2015. The golf course was opened for play in May 2016.

Photo below taken early May as the new golf course was opened for play.

The 2020 Summer Olympics are scheduled to be in Tokyo, Japan. 007 bentgrass was selected for seeding the new greens.

Photo above: Kasumigaseki CC with 007 greens in excellent condition, early August 2018, during a very hot summer season.

As golf is now an Olympic sport the Japanese are advanced planning for this event by hiring Tom Fazio, famed American golf course architect, to renovate the Kasumigaseki Golf Club in Saitama prefecture (region) near Tokyo. This is the golf course identified to host Olympic matches for the 2020 summer games in Tokyo.

The course renovation started in 2015 and completed during the 2016 season. As part of the plan a total greens renovation and reseeding to 100% 007 creeping bentgrass was completed.

Photo above: 007 putting green at the Kasumigaseki CC during a hot summer day, August 2018.

007 bentgrass is a very popular variety of bentgrass having already performed well throughout Japan. Seed of 007 bentgrass is available in Japan by contacting the Royal Turf Company.

This new high-end Raevo Golf Club is being currently under construction in the forests near ancient Zvenigorod, which is fifty kilometers from Moscow. As 007 bentgrass has proven cold tolerance this variety was selected for use on the greens at Raevo. Photo below: Early fall 2015.

007 has been sucessfully used on golf courses in Russia since 2010 and has gained a reputation for performing well when seeded to greens, tees, and fairways in cold climates. Reavo is scheduled to open for play in the spring of 2016.

With 007 bentgrassfairways and tees at the "The 27 Club" in Tianjin, China opened for play on July 1, 2015.

The 27 Club is now preparing to host its first professional tournament. The Pacific Links China Championship will take place at the club from 18-20 September 2015.

This twenty seven hole golf course was co-designed by Thomas McBroom and Beau Welling of Beau Welling Design. The weather is Tianjin, China can be unforgivingly hot during the summer (90F+ or 32C+ days), and during the winter the temperatures will around the freezing mark.Below are some photos taken in May 2014 showing various stages of turf establishment. At this time fifteen (15) holes are ready for play by most standards with eighteen (18) holes expected to be open for play later this summer/fall (2014). All twenty seven (27) holes should be ready for play in 2015.

Domaine deMurtoli, Corsica (Mediterranean Sea) - This privately owned golf course was constructed and seeded in 2013. The twelve individual green sites were designed to play from multiple tees that offered forty seven ways to play this unique design. The greens were seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass, with bluegrass tees and fairways. The cource was laid out by Kyle Phillips Design.

The greens at the Golf De L'Ocean golf course, Agadir, Morocco (northern Africa), were seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass in 2007.

Case study, see photo below: The greens at the Golf De L'Ocean golf course, Agadir, Morocco in northern Africa, were seeded to 100% 007 creeping bentgrass in 2007. The golf course superintendent, Sebastian Duteil, reports that "007 has very good salt and heat tolerance - In fact the irrigation water has 3 gr. / litre salt. 007 has very good disease tolerance with medium maintenance needs."

The variety 007 has excellent overall turf qualities along with improved resistance to Dollar Spot and Brown Patch. 007 creeping bentgrass is recommended for use for seeding high quality putting greens as well as tees and fairways.

Photo below is a 007 green in Morocco, spring 2011, irrigated with water having 3 gr./ litre salt.

007 greens at the Golf De L'Ocean golf course, Agadir, Morocco, seeded in 2007, photo below eight years after establishment in 2015.

The Golf De L'Ocean golf course is confirmation for 007 having good salt and heat tolerance - irrigation water has 3 gr. / litre salt.

The Tokyo Golf Club is Referred to by the Japanese As The "Augusta National of Japan."

Back from Japan - January 19, 2011 - after presenting two seminars to golf course superintendents on "How Best to Manage Bentgrass Putting Greens in a Hot Climate". During my tour of the country I had the opportunity to talk to the golf course superintendent at the Tokyo Golf Club.

The Tokyo Golf Club is the most prestigious and famous golf club in Japan and is know as "The Augusta National of Japan". Golf course superintendent Tomohiko Shibanuma supervised the renovation and American golf course architect Gil Hance was hired to totally renovate 18 green sites that included new bunker designs surrounding each green site.

The selection of the bentgrass variety for use in seeding the new greens was the decision of Mr. Shibanuma after on site plot testing of the creeping bentgrass varieties 007, Tyee, T-1, CY-2, A-1 for consideration. 007 performed best in the on site testing conducted at the Tokyo Golf Club facility - providing turf qulities that impressed Mr. Shibanauma.

The new 007 greens were seeded in April of 2010 and opened for play by the membership of the Tokyo Golf Club in mid August of 2010.

Interseeding 007 Bentgrass into Penncross Greens in Japan.

In January 2010 I visited Japan to conduct two seminars on bentgrass greens management to golf course superintendents. The following information on interseeding bentgrass greens was presented by a Japanese superintendent who was a part of the same educational program where I was speaking. I thought it was very good informaton to share with others, so, the following is a summary of what was offered.

Golf course superintendent Takaaki Nimori of the Kobe Golf Club in Kobe, Japan recently presented how he acheived good success with interseeding 007 creeping bentgrass into his established Penncross greens. Over the three year period of interseeding 007 into Penncross greens the surface became denser while displaying a finer leaf texture.

The first step in the process was to open the surface with a solid tine machine. The holes should be close enough to provide as many openings as possible without damaging the surface. The holes do not have to be more that 2.5 cm (one inch) deep.

The objective is to have sufficient openings in the surface for the seed to fall into the holes so the seed comes in contact with the soil. Seed simply deposited on the surface of the turf will not germinate. For best results practicing interseeding multiple times a year in conjunction with use of solid tines, or spiking or hollow tine aerification is recommended.

Depost the seed using a drop spreader or look to purchase equipment that will spike and add seed at the same time or poke a hole and seed in one operation.

After depositing the seed on the surface use a drag matt to move as much of the seed - that was deposited on the surface -into the holes.

A light sand topdressing may be desireable if applied after the seed is applied and be for the drag mat operation.

Rolling the greens after use of the drag matt is the final operation in the process.

Interseeding following this plan is relatively non disruptive and is a proceedure that can be accomplished in one or two days (18 greens).

The photo to the right shows the surface of the green after punching the holes, applying seed, use of the drag matt and rolling the surface.

The above described process will provide limited disrutpion to the green allowing golfers to play immediately after the green is rolled.

Close up of the green (below) in August 2009 after three years of interseeding with 007 creeping bentgrass. Note the fine leaf texture and excellent plant density of the putting surface.

There is no question that interseeding into a Penncross green can improve the over all quality of the putting surface. The key is to follow the interseeding guidelines and be patient as it may take two to three years to see a significant improvement.

Japan Golf Course Visits, August 10 - 14, 2009.

was in Japan to meet with Mr. Hanzawa and his Royal Turf Ltd. team that offers grass seed and fertilizers for sale to the golf course industry throughtout Japan. On this trip we visited golf courses and superintendents who have used 007 creeping bentgrass or are evaluating 007, Tyee, and other newer creeping bentgrasses for use on their putting greens.

With over 2,600 courses in Japan golf is a major sport played not only by men but is also very popular with women. Having visited Japan more than fifteen times since 1985 I always enjoy the country, hospitality, food, and golf. The Japanese people are quite friendly and very accommodating. I want to say thank you to Mr. Hanzawa for inviting me to visit a few golf courses and provide turf seminars to golf course superintendents in Japan.

In Japan, golf course superintendents have less turf management educational opportunities, as universities in Japan do not offer basic turfgrass management educational programs and conduct limited or no turf research for golf courses. Also, there is no equivalent of the USGA agronomic consulting service that many American superintendents enjoy. So, Japanese golf course superintendents look forward to the opportunity to meet an American turf specialist such as myself. Thank you to the superintendents I visited in Japan for the kind reception they provided me.

The above sign states that 007 was used on the putting greens for the Nojigigiku Open Golf Tournament in 2008, a professional golf event on the Japanese golf tour.

For this summers visit most of my discussions with superintendents revolved around qualities of new creeping bentgrass, especially 007, and comparisons with older varieties.

It is important to note that Tokyo is a hot humid climate making it a challenge to sucessfully maintain creeping bentgrasses during the humid summer months of June, July and August. Maintaing creeping bentgrass greens near Tokyo is similar to what golf course superintendents encounter when managing bent greens in climates such as Washington, DC, Charlotte, NC, or Atlanta, GA.

On August 11 we visited Kiyokawa Country Club in the Tokyo region. This golf course recently completed a greens renovation project and re-sodded with 007 creeping bentgrass. Their sodding was finished in May 2009.

Below is a photo of me (center) looking to show the thatch layer that was brought to the golf course with the sod. I always recommend that sodded greens be aerified six times a year for the first two years to eliminate the thatch layer. This added aerification is extremely important to provide long term health for a sodded green.

The knife identifies the thatch layer that can restrict rooting and water movement into the soil.

During a long hot summer with high humidity and considerable rain use of solid tines to punch a hole through the thatch layer is desireable.

In the photo below the solid tine holes can be observed just after use of the machine shown above. The holes will allow gas exchange into the soil making oxygen more readily available to the root system. This process of poking solid tines into the puttting green surface is called "venting". It is very important to "vent" greens during July and August while maintaining creeping bentgrass greens in the hot humid climate.

Another popular method of breaking through a tight sealed surface is the use of spiking each week during the months of June, July, and August. Spiking does not interfere with the putting green surface and is commonly recommended to improve water infiltration and gas exchange, including oxygen. Superintendents can use both solid tine and spiking as a part of their summer turf maintenance program. Whenever the surface appears sealed, holds water, or shows algae or moss, slicing and venting is a must, on a weekly schedule during the months of June, July or August.

Below is the result of spiking in two directions on a putting green. The slice marks seen below will not be observed by golfers after one or two days for each spiking event.

The next day on August 12 we visited the Hirakawa Country Club in the Tokyo Region. This golf course has, for a long time, used the two green concept. Yes, many of the older golf courses in Japan have two greens on each hole. One is grassed with creeping bentgrass and one is grassed with a fine textured warm season Zoysiagrass.

Recently, the golf course superintendent on this course has been interseeding his Penncross greens with 007, during the month of August. The method used to interseed 007 is with a spiking - seeding machine (see photo below) followed by sand topdressing.

Five days after spiking, seeding, and topdressing the 007 seed is observed germinating in the photo below.

The second green on each hole traditionally was maintained with warm season, fine textured Zoysia. In concept, the warm season Zoysia would be used mainly during the warm months and the Penncross greens used primarily during the cooler months.

As a growing trend in Japan golf course managers who have Zoysia greens are eliminating the warm season turf in favor of a second bentgrass green. At Hirakawa the turf on the Zoysia green was removed and seeded to 007 bentgrass. The 007 now provides the new putting green turf (see photo below) - on this second putting green for each hole.

Sounds confusing? Not really; simply each hole now has two greens, one is 007 and one is Penncross interseeded with 007. The two bentgrass greens will now be used on a four day rotating schedule.

The history for having two putting greens goes to not having confidence that the bentgrass green would be in acceptable condition during the summer and the Zoysia grass green used during the summer was not an acceptable surface during the wnter.

On day three, August 13, we took a two hour train ride to the Kashima Minami Golf Course located in Nagano prefecture (our equivalent of a county), host of the 1998 winter olympics. This golf course is located in the mountains at a site where cool season grasses are well adapted. This area of Japan is a much cooler climate compared to Tokyo.

The golfers at Kashima Minami currently play on twenty five year old Penncross greens. Two years ago the golf course superintendent established a new putting green with one third of the green seeded to the variety 007 (see photo below - note no thatch present), one third to Tyee, and one third to the variety Kingpin. The turf on this new putting green now provides a side by side variety comparison and a reference to the Penncross greens currently being used on the golf course.

The 007 looked exceptional with bright attractive green leaf color (see photo above and below), fine textured leaves, and with a uniformly dense turf. The day I observed the two year old putting green the 007 produced the most desirable putting surface, closely followed by the variety Tyee. Tyee also produced similar turf qualities as the 007. The variety Kingpin was less dense, with a coarse leaf blade and a less pleasing blue - green color.

We discussed with the superintendents at the seminars to expect good color retension on 007 during the cooler fall months and find early spring green up for this creeping bentgrass variety.

During my visit to Japan there was great excitment for use and acceptance of the new bents (See 007 putting green below).

Building Golf Courses in Russia, 2010 Update.

Have been going to Russia since 2004 consulting with one of my former turf students at Rutgers, Michael Puchkov. Michael is an Alumni of Rutgers Professional Turf Management School, class of 2002, who has been working with Protecion LTD since 2003 on the development and construction of golf courses in Russia. Michael is a native Russian and Protcion LTD is a Russian owned development company. In June and July, 2010, was my sixth and seventh visit to Russia consulting on new golf course construction.

It is gratifying to be a part of the developing golf market in Russia. At this time there are approximately seven completed golf courses in all of Russia with another five or so currently under construction. As golf grows in Russia they will need trained turf managers to administer the golf courses as golf course superintendents.

We currently have three Russians who are graduates of our Rutgers Professional Turf Management School - Dmitry Butyrin (Class of 1999), Michael Puchkov (Class of 2002), and Eugene Semenov (Class of 2008). I am very proud of these three Alumni and think of them not only as turf managers but as friends.

The first course developed by Protcion was the Pestovo Golf and Yacht Club (Moscow region) built in 2004 - 2006 and designed by English architects Dave and Paul Thomas. I first visited Russia in 2005 when Pestovo was under construction. I consulted with Michael on the agronomy for the golf course, selecting the grasses and assisting with the grow in and golf course maintenance decisions. Michael and I have been training his staff on best practices for golf course maintenance for five years and now have some of his best employees moving on to assist with the construction and grow in of other new golf courses in Russia.

For Pestovo The greens, tees, fairways were seeded to SR 1119, the primary roughs to SR bluegrasses and the secondary roughts to SR fescues. I can report that this golf course is in excellent condition for the 2009 golfing season which spans from May thorugh September.

The Pestovo Golf and Yacht Club has shown to be the most successful country club gated community in Russia with all of the housing lots being sold shortly after the golf course was completed. In July 2008 the Pestovo club hosted the Russian Senior Golf Tournament won by Ian Woosnam.

At this time, summer 2010, Protcion has completed two new projects in the Moscow region and one in Ekatinburg (eastern side of the Ural Mountains - not far from Western Siberia).

Forrest Hills Golf Club, outside of Moscow, Russia

I visited the new Forrest Hills golf course near Moscow which was finished this summer . The last five holes were seeded this summer and be ready for play with the 2011 golfing season. The greens are seeded to Tyee creeping bentgrass with the fairways and tees seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass. Seed Research bluegrasses and fescues are being used for seeding the roughs. The photo below shows Michael sitting on a 007 tee seeded in the late summer of 2008 on the Forrest Hills course. Golf course architects: Steve Forrest and Art Hills. The Forrest Hills golf course is part of a gated community housing project with over 125 lots available.

Links National Golf Club, outside Moscow, Russia

Below is a picture of the Links National golf club near Moscow. Construction / shaping started in April of 2009 with one third of the holes roughed out by the end of June 2009. The plan is to have all of the holes shaped by early October. As the summer progressed the hills and mounds were hydroseeded with a combination of Seed Research fine fescue varieties - Chewing's, hard, and creeping red. Michael Puchkov is directing the project with Brian Smith and Mark Lawson responsible for shaping the golf course.

As the "Links" name implies, this will be the first links style course to be constructed in Russia. Fescues on hills and mounds and Chewings fescue / Colonial bentgrass fairways and tees will be seeded, consistant with true Scottish / Irish links specifications. The greens will be seeded to 007 with Seed Research varieties of fescues and colonial bent used on this project.

Above fine fescues are germinating (June 27, 2009) in the track marks of the large equipment used to mould and shape the hills and slopes for the links design. No irrigation is present at this time, so to aid germination the tracks assist by holding water and conserve moisture during establishment. In a cold climate with a short summer you need to use all the tricks to expedite construction of the golf course.

The photo above is a 007green being mown for the first time, August 2010, on the Links golf course site. The seeding of the golf course is now complete and will be ready for play for the 2011 season.

Pine Creek Golf Club, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Seeding the new Pine Creek Golf Club near Ekaterinburg (east of the Ural Mountains, close to Western Siberia) has just been completed. Construction started in the fall of 2007 with most of the shaping completed in the summer of 2008,. Six holes were seeded in July - August 2008. Seeding was stopped in mid September 2008 as cold weather set in.

I asked Michael to dormant seed in October. With dormant seeding the seed is applied to the surface after temperatures have dropped to a point where germination would not occur prior to the expected snow. Using the dormant seeding plan three holes - fairways, tees, and roughs - were seeded in mid October when temperatures were around freezing. Michael was skeptical, I was not. This spring (2009) the three dormant seeded holes displayed germination in May. The results of dormant seeding were very impressive with these three holes showing uniform establishment and maturity (June 28, 2009).

Nine of the holes shaped but not seeded in 2008 were seeded in June of 2009. With long days of more than eighteen hours, seeding in June provided fast germination - two to three days - with rapid growth and establishment.

The golf course was routed by golf course architect Paul Thomas, under the direction of Michael Puchkov with on site shaping by Brian Smith and Mark Lawson. The greens were seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass, fairways to Chewings fescue and Colonial bentgrass and roughts to a combination of Seed Research fine fescues. Below is a photo of Michael Puchkov on a 007 creeping bentgrass tee. The Pine Creek Golf Club is the first golf course in the Ural Mountain region of Russia and is part of a gated community with over 125 housing lots as part of the project.

As you would expect the winters are long with a golfing season from mid May through the month of September. From October through April snow and extrememly cold weather is expected. The summers are warm to hot which is a challenge for turf maintenance considering the extremes that occur at this location.

The site is in the summer resort City of Gelendzhik overlooking the Black Sea making this a spectatular setting for this golf course and teaching academy, equestrian center and tennis center. This will be a full service resort to include a large Mederanian style clubhouse.